TEGUCIGALPA: Honduras' ousted president won overwhelming international support Tuesday as he planned a high-profile return to his chaotic country. The politicians who sent soldiers to fly him into exile in his pajamas said he will be arrested for treason if he tries.
The showdown was building to a climax as the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador signed on to accompany President Manuel Zelaya and other figures on a flight to Honduras on Thursday.
Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubi said Zelaya would be seized "as soon as he sets foot on Honduran soil" and face 20 years in prison on charges that also include abuse of authority.
"I'm going back to calm people down. I'm going to try to open a dialogue and put things in order," Zelaya said at the United Nations. "When I'm back, people are going to say ... `commander, we're at your service' and the army will have to correct itself. There's no other possibility."
The U.N. General Assembly voted by acclamation to demand Zelaya's immediate restoration, and the Organization of American States was meeting to consider suspending Honduras for straying from democracy.
With no international support but a significant following at home, the new Honduran leadership called thousands of flag-waving people into a downtown plaza. Soldiers fenced off the area around the presidential palace, where security forces used tear gas and water cannons Monday against Zelaya supporters, injuring and arresting dozens.
The interim president named by Congress, Roberto Micheletti, said Zelaya could be arrested for violating the constitution if he returns. He also said he would not resign no matter how intense the international pressure on Honduras becomes.
"No. I was appointed by Congress, which represents the Honduran people. Nobody can make me resign unless I break the laws of the country," Micheletti said in an interview with media at the presidential palace.
Zelaya — whose elected term ends in 2010 — had defied the Supreme Court and called a referendum on constitutional change that opponents worried would lead to Zelaya prolonging his presidency.
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